Citigroup Center from “Opportunity Knocks”

One of my favorite movies from my teen years is Opportunity Knocks. I first saw the 1990 comedy in the theatre with my uncle and cracked up all the way through. I have watched it countless times since and its hilarity has not waned in the slightest. I knew that the flick was lensed largely in Chicago and recently asked It’sFilmedThere’s Chas (a native of nearby Indiana) to track down its locations. One that he had some trouble with was the building that housed the office of Milt Malkin (Robert Loggia). I thought it looked like an L.A.-area property and, as it turns out, I was right. While the vast majority of the movie was shot in the Windy City, the exterior of Mitch’s office can actually be found in downtown Los Angeles. (Although, this blurb from Shot On This Site, which I came across while researching for today’s post, has me wondering if more scenes – most likely interiors – were shot in L.A.) In real life, Milt’s office was located in the Citigroup Center at 444 South Flower Street.

The 625-foot, 48-story Citigroup Center was designed by the A.C. Martin & Partners architecture firm and was completed in either 1979 or 1981, depending on which website or book you are reading.

The structure, which originally served as the Los Angeles headquarters for Wells Fargo Bank, was first named the Wells Fargo Bank building. When WFB acquired Crocker Bank in 1986, the company’s headquarters were moved to Crocker Center. The property then became known as the 444 Plaza Building (or the 444 Flower Building) until the early 2000s when Citigroup Inc. moved in and changed the name to Citigroup Center.

Citigroup Center played the headquarters of the Malkin Blower Company in Opportunity Knocks. The building was only shown in one brief establishing shot, in the scene in which Milt first brought Eddie (Dana Carvey) to visit his office.

The sculpture visible in the scene is named “Shoshone” and was built by artist Mark DiSuvero in 1982.

The 45-foot tall piece, which is painted in two different shades of red, was constructed out of 13 steel I-beams and weighs 25 tons.

The CRA/LA website states that the abstract sculpture “is aligned to frame the Bonaventure Hotel like an easel.”

Citigroup Center was not used for the interior of the Malkin Blower Company in Opportunity Knocks.

Interior filming took place at a building located somewhere in downtown Chicago, as is evidenced by the Chase Tower . . .

Citigroup Center was the site of the bank heist at the end of 1995’s Heat. Only the exterior of the building was used, though. The bank’s interior can be found a few blocks east at 350 South Grand Avenue. (Michael Heizer’s geometrically-shaped North, South, East, West art installation is visible in the scene.)

In 1999’s Fight Club, one of the Fight Club members tried to start a scuffle in the forecourt of Citigroup Center’s street-level entrance.

Citigroup Center was also featured in Gotcha! and To Live and Die in L.A, but, unfortunately, I could not find copies of either movie with which to make screen captures for this post. And while several websites state the building appeared in Baby Boom, I scanned through the 1987 comedy and did not see it pop up anywhere.